Louisiana Becomes Latest Hotspot For Mystery Drug That’s 10 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl And Tied To 41 Deaths

Louisiana is connected precocious alert arsenic experts pass of nan dispersed of a powerful synthetic opioid known arsenic cychlorphine, joining astatine slightest 12 states that person issued warnings aft uncovering grounds of nan drug, which is linked to astatine slightest 41 U.S. deaths.

The drug, sometimes manufactured to lucifer commercial painkillers for illustration oxycodone, has been identified successful Caddo, DeSoto, and Ouachita parishes, according to caller testing from nan North Louisiana Crime Lab.

There are presently nary quality studies of cychlorphine, but experts pass that laboratory testing shows nan supplier could beryllium up to 10 times much powerful than fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that itself is astir 50 times much potent than heroin. This has experts worried that if cychlorphine penetrates nan U.S. supplier supply, it will wreak moreover much havoc than fentanyl, which killed about 48,000 group successful 2024, according to nan astir caller authorities statistics.

“With a supplier for illustration cychlorphine that is much powerful past fentanyl, it could return aggregate doses of NARCAN — it could return a motortruck load of NARCAN — to reverse that overdose,” Kenton Leigh, lawman head of toxicology and chemistry astatine nan lab, told KSLA, referring to a wide disposable nasal spray utilized to reverse opioid overdoses.

The laboratory began informing of threat successful March, aft a sample from nan Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office was recovered to incorporate nan drug.

“These substances are being encountered successful counterfeit pharmaceutical forms, importantly expanding nan consequence of overdose,” it wrote successful a nationalist announcement.

Louisiana isn’t alone; states crossed nan state are flagging cases and deaths tied to nan drug.

Cychlorphine, besides known by its afloat sanction of N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, was tied to 41 deaths betwixt July of 2025 and this February, according to wellness officials successful Tennessee. The supplier is linked to astatine slightest 1 overdose decease successful Oklahoma, officials location announced successful March. In Ohio, betwixt October and January, eight items seized by constabulary contained cychlorphine aliases a related compound, pinch six of these seizures tied to overdose cases.

Overall, nan Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, a Justice Department partner, has identified cychlorphine successful 25 humor specimens from fatal overdoses, pinch nan supplier arsenic nan sole opioid successful astir half of those cases. The samples were submitted to nan halfway successful precocious 2025 and early 2026, drafting from 8 U.S. states and 3 provinces successful Canada.

Public wellness officials are particularly concerned astir nan supplier because supplier trial kits and rule enforcement testing schemes astir nan state mostly aren’t designed to surface for this emerging threat.

"This is nan first clip we've seen it successful South Carolina, which is very scary because nary of america knew to trial for it,” Naida Rutherford, nan coroner successful Richland County, South Carolina, told NPR of a caller affirmative ID of cychlorphine successful an overdose death.

A Drug Enforcement Agency laboratory successful Florida first spotted nan supplier successful 2024.

“Through nan extremity of February 2026, DEA laboratories person identified this constituent successful 22 samples,” nan agency told The Hill.

The Independent has contacted nan DEA for comment.

Experts judge nan drug, apt manufactured successful Asia, has grown progressively salient arsenic U.S. and Chinese officials alike ace down connected different synthetic opioids for illustration fentanyl.

North Louisiana Crime Lab strategy head Joey Jones told The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate that rule enforcement and supplier distributors are caught successful "a never-ending pursuit that is simply a cat-and-mouse game."

"These are manufactured successful China and distributed done nan cartels connected our streets," Jones said.

With reported cases of nan supplier crossed astatine slightest 13 states — New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Nevada, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ohio and South Carolina — officials opportunity it is much important than ever to usage narcotics from legitimate, tested sources.

“It has ne'er been much vulnerable to return street-level narcotics than correct now,” Chris Thomas, main administrative serviceman and head of Tennessee’s Knox County Regional Forensic Center, told WATE earlier this month.